As South Florida media reported on empty supermarket shelves because of COVID-19 panic-buying, some personal injury attorneys say they saw a spike in car accident cases.

Miami Lakes personal injury attorney Gregory Ward said his firm the Ward Law Group received almost 30% more calls last weekfrom drivers whod crashed in and around store parking lots and from drivers delivering food to people at home.

“Last week, it was more significant than even the holiday season,” Ward said. “Most of it was distracted driving and people just not thinking because of the fear they have about this coronavirus. People were very getting anxious about getting things like toilet paper and forgetting basic safety in parking lots and on the roads.”

Likewise, Michael Steinger said his firm Steinger, Greene & Feiner has attributed a similar surge in car accidents cases to the pandemic.

“Our week-over-week intake has gone up for auto accidents in the last week,” Steinger said. “Certain states, particularly Florida, continue to see a lot of auto movement as we are less restricted than many other states.”